The T20 league spot-fixing scandal turned murkier with the Delhi Police on Tuesday naming India’s most wanted man Dawood Ibrahim and his aide Chotta Shakeel in the case, while bringing in charges under a tough anti-organised crime law against tainted pacer Sreesanth and 25 others. The MCOCA slapped against Sreesanth, others for obeying command of Dawood outfit police claimed it had enough evidence in hand to prove in the court the bookies had made use of the underworld network in fixing T20 league matches.
Officials who are part of the investigation said call intercepts showed the bookies had made calls to Dubai, Karachi and other cities of Pakistan to fix and alter betting rates.
After Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (Mcoca) provisions were invoked against all the 26 accused, getting a bail will become hard for them when their judicial custody— extended till June 18—expires.
“Some big names are also involved which I cannot disclose at this stage and they were in regular contact with D (Dawood) company,” the prosecutor had earlier told the court.
The police had said they were trying to figure out some missing links in the case.
At the same time Delhi Police intensified the hunt for a Hyderabad-based person they believe could lead to the door of another cricket team whose players were allegedly involved in spot-fixing.
In another development, a Mumbai court granted bail to Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of under fire BCCI president N Srinivasan, and actor Vindoo Dara Singh in the betting scandal.
They were ordered to appear before the investigating officer of the crime branch every alternate day and told not to leave the country.
Srinivasan on Sunday stepped aside as BCCI president until the commission appointed to conduct an inquiry into the betting and spot-fixing charges, including Meiyappan’s role, completes the task.